Ukraine Today - An Independent Political Review

Finland has one of the  most modern and democratic Constitutions in Europe.  It is a state worthy of consideration by Ukraine.  Finland along with its Scandinavian neighbours played a significant role in the development of Estonia and Latvia both of which are successful EU member states Source: Kyiv Post The embassy of Finland and International Centre for Policy Studies in Kyiv present Finland: A country of only five million people with a strange language, notorious drinking binges and folk songs that are mostly in a minor key. But it’s also a highly successful country of considerable creativity and innovation—not all of it related to cell phones. On Nov. 28, “100 Innovations from Finland” was presented in Kyiv by its author, Ilkka Taipale—a politician, doctor, activist, pacifist and an icon of Finnish social policy—and professor Vappu Taipale, a renowned physician and CEO of the Finnish National Research and Development Center for Welfare and Health—STAKES in Finnish—

Source: The Day “There are rumors that Liovochkin was utterly opposed to the arrest of Yulia Tymoshenko. It is hard to su­spect me of being Liovochkin’s fan, but he is no fool, unlike many other individuals. Moreover, there is no way back for him. Medvedchuk’s people in the Administration must have some escapeway or another. This group, apparently, has none. There are also some Russian influences over the president, albeit latent.” What do you mean by “Russian influences”? “First of all, Medvedchuk. I think there are two key persons in Tymoshenko’s case, and Pshonka isn’t one of them. They are Medvedchuk and Khoroshkovsky. Pshonka became a hostage in the game, but he has been playing by its rules. Now he simply cannot quit.” What role is Yanukovych playing then? “The decision to arrest Tymo­shenko could have never been taken without Yanukovych’s personal involvement, under no circumstances. Who pulled the strings, prepared the soil, and put him in the right mood

From the pages of Foreign Notes German ambassador to Kyiv Dr. Hans-Jürgen Heimsoeth posted a significant article in today's 'Ukrainska Pravda' Here are a few quotes: "Today the EU finds itself before the question - Will it be possible to conclude an Association Agreement with Ukraine before the end of the year..and this at a moment when serious doubts have sprung up in the EU whether the Ukrainian leadership is truly sincere in its statements on European integration? Doubts are growing daily... Trials and increased application of arrests of former members of government, are just the tip of the iceberg...other concerns are daily being added: pressure on enterprises from security organs, searches of lawyers' offices, pre-trial detentions, fabricated trials, placement of loyalists into all possible positions etc. Germany and its partners cannot close its eyes to the development of such events. All the major political forces in Ukraine wish to

Source: European Parliament Recent political developments in Ukraine Since its independence Ukraine has been a priority partner country for the EU within the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership because it is perceived as a key regional player, which exerts considerable influence on the security, stability and prosperity of the whole continent, and which should therefore bear its respective share of political responsibility. On its tough path towards democracy, Ukraine has made important steps with regards to its economic and political development. However, new Ukrainian authorities have started to reverse the democratic transformations of the Orange Revolution. With the sentencing on 11th October 2011 of the former Prime Minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, serious concerns have arisen with regards to political freedoms, the rule of law and the state of democracy in Ukraine. The European People’s Party stands by the position that this will have serious negative conse

Source: Interfax-Ukraine; Published by Kyivpost LONDON – Ukraine under conditions of instability in the financial and economic situation in the world, so as better to react to external shocks, should cancel the hryvnia's pegging to the U.S. dollar, experts have advised. The topic was discussed at the Inside Ukraine conference organized by the Economist magazine with support of the Foundation for Effective Governance (FEG) in London on Tuesday. "Ukraine should think of a floating exchange rate, especially when the country faces a deficit in the balance of payments… I'm sure that if the changes take place, we'll see a lot of export growth, and the growth model will change," Troika Dialog Senior Economist Evgeny Gavrilenkov said.

Allegations that the Russian parliamentary election is fraudulent just does not stack up to scrutiny.  Yes there are always going to be some errors in the conduct of any election,  But in Russia's case the allegation of corruption and suggestion that the overall election results do not reflect intention of the Russian people are dubious at best a US lead conspiracy at worst.   The results of Sundays Duma election are in line with expectations, public opinion polls and all exist polls.  The difference between United Russia who was on 49.5% and the next highest political party the Communist Party (19.9%) is too big of a gap to be claimed to be as a result of vote rigging.   Those that are protesting about the results of the election have a hidden agenda and Hillary Clinton is very much connected as she plays to the US electorate. As you can be seen from the above graph of Levada polls, United Russia remains head and shoulders above the KPRF (Communists) and LDPR (populists). F